What is a Dream

by Silver Page

Dream Drink

The air was nice and warm as Gem Swirl headed back to her home. The sun was bright, but didn’t reflect too harshly off the other Crystal Ponies. And for some reason, her heart was lighter than it had been in a while. She didn’t understand why, but it had all started when she’d had seen the pale blue Earth Pony. He was one of the newcomers, an envoy of the mysterious southern empire of Equestria. There had been a lot of them recently, ever since that strange and beautiful new pony had arrived. Her name was Princess Cadence, she recalled, and was an Alicorn. Such a pony! So mysterious and regal! When Princess Cadence had returned after vanquishing King Sombra, Gem Swirl had been called to the palace, and had an audience with her. The Princess and her husband, a handsome stallion named Shining Armor, had offered Gem Swirl the position of leadership for the Crystal Empire. Another princess, named Celestia, had wanted Cadence to rule this new territory, but after learning about Gem Swirl’s pedigree and lineage, had wanted to speak with her first.

“Are you sure? We don’t want you to feel belittled or forced to abdicate. You can be the leader of the Crystal Empire, and we won’t speak of this again.” Cadence had sat at the foot of the throne, while Gem Swirl was forced to take her seat on the magnificent dais. Shining Armor stood next to his wife, and both looked up at her.

“This never was my home to begin with. Uncle Honor and Aunt Regal were the rulers. I never wanted to take their place, and I do not plan to.” She stood up from the throne and descended the stairs to face Princess Cadence.

“This place has too many painful memories for me, too many ghosts. It was a prison I could not escape, not even in my dreams. King Sombra made sure of that.” Gem Swirl looked back at the throne and shivered, holding back tears. “You may rule this place, because I have no desire to. If a treaty in writing would help, that is fine. I want nothing to do with it.” Cadence and Shining Armor shared a look, but the princess simply nodded.

“Very well then, Miss Gem Swirl. We will respect your wishes, and I shall let Princess Celestia know all this.” Princess Cadence rose and stood aside for Gem Swirl, who trotted out of the throne room and left the castle, never once looking back.

A chorus of childish laughter brought Gem Swirl back to the present. Looking over her shoulder, she saw a group of foals giggling and clapping as spinning tops and wind-up toys danced around them, and in the midst of it all was a Unicorn in a hooded black cloak. His coat, horn and mane were a strange red color, like rust on an old nail. His eyes were storm grey, and they watched the children calmly. There was no joy in his eyes, even though his mouth smiled, and he pulled toys and trinkets from a bulging carrying bag for the children to see. His horn would spark to life occasionally, magic the color of blood winding up his contraptions or spinning off his tops. The children were oblivious to the false expression he wore, and gathered around with excited cries.

“Easy now, children! I have toys for everyone!” The Unicorn said, and indeed, he pulled out more little gifts and play things. By this point, a number of adults has gathered nearby as well, and were paying for the toys their foals clamored for. The mysterious salestallion accepted the Crystal Empire bits with a smile as empty as any Gem Swirl had ever seen, but none of the Crystal Ponies seemed to care, or even notice. At one point, his gaze swept the crowd, and his cold eyes landed on Gem Swirl. She balked, but he soon looked to others as they came to him.
Shivering, Gem Swirl continued back to her house at the edge of the city, deciding it was better not to get involved with that particular pony. She was halfway there when a voice called out to her.

“Your misery is quite a sight to see. Rarely have I witnessed such an aura.” Gem Swirl turned sharply, looking behind her to see the red Unicorn from earlier.

“Why did you follow me? What do you want?” Gem Swirl asked, taking a step forward menacingly. The Unicorn backed off, raising his hooves in a placating gesture.

“I mean no offense, my dear, just that I can see your sorrows and pain. You wear them unwillingly, and they burn bright, an aura the likes of which I rarely see.” He took a step forward, reaching into a smaller saddlebag at his side. Slowly, so she could see his every action, he pulled out a small, delicate glass bottle. It was a pale, opaque blue color, and some sort of liquid swished around inside. A fancy label adorned the front of it, though it was too far for Gem Swirl to read.

“This is a potion I brewed specifically for ponies like you, who have such agony in their past. A sleeping draught, it will fill your dreams with love and joy, and erase the callousness of your nightmares.” It was enveloped in the Unicorn’s blood red aura, and he placed it in front of Gem Swirl. The label read ‘Dream Drink: Consume before sleep and enjoy the dreams you deserve.’

“It is made from rainbows and moonlight, and brewed carefully to produce the finest sleeping aid in the world. A free sample, for a first time customer,” the Unicorn explained. Gem Swirl was still unconvinced, and she looked suspiciously at the mysterious peddler.

“Who are you?” She demanded, and he smiled widely with amusement. It was the first genuine emotion she had seen him display.

“I’m the Toymaker. Pleasant dreams!” The Unicorn trotted away, and Gem Swirl paused, before finally picking up the bottle and putting it in her bag with her books. As she resumed her trip back home, the red Unicorn smiled with malice in his heart, and thoughts full of pain.

“Welcome back, Silver Page! Did you have an enjoyable time at the library?” Shining Armor was in the main hall when Silver Page and his grandchildren returned to the castle. He had been talking with some of the maids, and one of them gave Silver Tongue a sharp look, while the rest looked disapprovingly at the target of her ire. Silver Tongue had the decency to look abashed, and the maids huffed off, leaving Shining Armor to greet the trio.

“It was enlightening, though I may have forgotten to eat lunch in all my passion,” Silver Page said, his words emphasized by a loud growling that came from his stomach. Shining Armor led them to the dining hall, which had been set up with a lavish feast. Princess Cadence sat at the head of the elongated table, apparently waiting for them, and grinned as her guests and husband entered.

“Please, have a seat, everypony! We have a wonderful dinner prepared for you tonight,” Cadence explained, waving a hoof which signaled the servers and waiters to enter. Silver Tongue sat beside Gold Dust, while Silver Page sat next to Shining Armor on the opposite side of the table. Massive platters and serving bowls were brought in with all kinds of delicacies, and Gold Dust stared at it all with drool starting to appear at the corners of her muzzle. Silver Tongue nudged his cousin, and she quickly adjusted her posture, while he snickered softly.

It seemed somepony had a cruel sense of humor that evening, as Silver Tongue was assigned the very mare he had hit on last night, which was how he’d ended up in a hedge. He was understandably nervous, and this amused the rest of the wait staff and his dinner partners.

“What sort of things did you find in the library, Silver Page?” Cadence inquired after a bit of small talk, and Silver Page nodded eagerly at the chance to reveal his finds.

“Where to start! The library has so many books I’ve never even dreamed of, and the books I have heard of are in such good condition! I found a copy of all of Shaky Spear’s plays, and they were uncensored, unabridged, unaltered masterworks!” Silver Page went on like this for a while, and his audience politely ate while nodding and saying “Oh?” and “How fascinating!” at regular intervals.

“I also met Gem Swirl in the library today,” Silver Page eventually said, as if mentioning an off-hand curiosity. Some of the waiters fumbled to recover their hold on their dishes, and a few of them couldn’t quite hold in their gasps. Princess Cadence nodded sadly, while Shining Armor just looked concerned.

“She, um, did she say anything?” He asked after an awkward moment of silence. Silver Page shook his head.

“No, but the librarian was kind enough to enlighten us about her circumstances, wasn’t she, Silver Tongue?” Gold Dust said, stepping in for her grandfather and putting her cousin in an uncomfortable spot. Silver Tongue nodded wordlessly, not quite liking the looks his waitress was giving him.

“I suppose we should have said something about her sooner, Silver Page, and I apologize for not telling you anything. But her situation is rather…precarious,” Cadence said apologetically. “She wears her sorrows and pain close to her, like a shroud...” but Silver Page raised his hoof to forestall anything more.

“You do not need to say anything. If Celestia had wanted me to know, she’d have told me. My duties as Master Librarian do not require me to partake in the cat and mouse game of politics, nor do I wish to. But there are problems this will raise, legal and political, and I have already begun drafting some notes for Celestia so she can deal with them.” Silver Page took a long sip from his cup, the silence less strained than before.

“And on the subject of Miss Gem Swirl, you are wrong, Cadence. She does not wear her suffering like a shroud. She wears it like armor, and hides behind it, and uses it as her strength. She fears it as much as she needs it.” Silver Page unconsciously rubbed his right shoulder, feeling again the knotted flesh of his faded scar.

The rest of the dinner passed by, mostly in silence, but a bit of levity did return near the dessert course. After all was done, and the dishes gathered up, Silver Tongue held back a yawn and the looks on his cousin and grandfather’s faces mirrored his own tiredness. They got up as made their way back to the rooms, excusing themselves from Princess Cadence’s presence, who simply nodded. As he was leaving, Silver Tongue noticed Shining Armor and his wife go off together, speaking softly. He shrugged. Wasn’t his business. He was heading towards the bathrooms when somepony grabbed him and pinned him to the wall. Yelping a bit in surprise, he looked down at the maid who had hovered near him all dinner. Eyes wide with fear, Silver Tongue wondered why she was mad this time.

“Okay, listen up! You stay quiet, and I don’t shove you into another hedge, got that?” the maid asked. Silver Tongue nodded quickly, lips pressed shut.

“Good. Now, I saw your expression during dinner when Lady Gem Swirl was mentioned. I could tell you have some sort of thing for her.” The maid leaned in close, and Silver Tongue pressed himself up against the wall as far as he could.

“Don’t you dare even think of hitting on her, understood? She’s had more than enough pain in her life, and she does not need some play-stallion getting into her business and hurting her even more. And if I even think that you’ve made a move on her, I swear on the Crystal Heart I will shove you someplace nopony will ever find you, or my name isn’t Crispy Abigail Brush!” the maid backed off, glaring at him even as she trotted backwards into an annex corridor. Silver Tongue let out a sigh of relief, and slumped to the floor.

“Come on, Silver Tongue! I know you’re tired, but that is no excuse to go to sleep in the hallway!” Gold Dust appeared, looking at her cousin with a mix of pity and exasperation. He simply nodded, and staggered off to the bathroom, leaving behind his perplexed cousin.

The evening had started off pleasantly. Gem Swirl had enjoyed a simple dinner of a hayseed salad, and then read the intriguing book the elderly newcomer had given her. It was amazing, and Gem Swirl hadn’t let go of it till she had read all of Daring Doo’s adventure. It seemed to be a series, so she would have to ask if he knew about the sequels. Around midnight Gem Swirl had finally tried to go to sleep, but then it all went wrong.
Maybe because she had seen two Unicorns in one day, her old traumas resurfaced, and her sleep was plagued by memories of Sombra. She barely got an hour of rest before she woke up screaming and crying, and she curled up in a tight ball on her bed, comforting herself by muttering an old folk song over and over. At length, her tears dried up and her shivering stilled, Gem Swirl got up to grab some water. As she filled a glass from the sink, her eyes looked over at the table where her books lay. For a moment, she was confused, wondering where that glass bottle had come from. Then she remembered; the red Unicorn peddler had given her a sleeping potion. Strange, Gem Swirl couldn’t recall removing it from her bag, or setting it on the table.

She paused, thinking hard. On one hoof, it was from a mysterious Unicorn. On the other, if it worked, she would not have any nightmares. In the end, she pulled the crystal stopper from the bottleneck, and swallowed the contents in one gulp. The drink went down smoothly, and left an odd, minty aftertaste. It wasn’t bad, and she started to feel tired immediately. She staggered over to her bed and fell onto it as the potion kicked in. Closing her eyes and pulling up the blankets, she slipped into a cloud of warmth and peace.

“Can you move that book to the history stack? Thanks Silver Tongue,” Silver Page said, as his grandson moved books from pile to pile as he directed. It was almost lunchtime, and Silver Page had spent most of the time in the library. Gold Dust was out at the palace, organizing the multitude of royal files and legal documents left from the previous regime. Silver Tongue had opted to help Silver Page in the library, mostly in an attempt to avoid the maid-mare Crispy Brush, but also in part to collect his thoughts. Why did he react so strangely when Gem Swirl was mentioned? What was going on in him right now?

“Silver Tongue! Stop day dreaming and help me!” An urgent cry brought him back, and Silver Tongue looked over to see his grandfather struggling to keep a towering pile of books from keeling over. Silver Tongue rushed over to prevent his grandfather from being crushed by his precious tomes.

“Grab the red book! No, not that one! That’s magenta! I said red! Oh…!” With a muffled crump, the books collapsed on the two, but Silver Tongue’s actions had prevented it from doing anything more than bruise them.

“Galloping ghosts, boy! We nearly got crushed!” Silver Page cried out, more than just a little peeved. Silver Tongue surfaced next to his irate grandfather and looked around. For some reason, it all struck Silver Tongue as comically, for he soon burst out laughing.

“What is so funny?” Silver Page demanded, and his grandson obliged him.

“Nothing! Just…what a fitting end for a librarian, eh? Crushed by his books!” Silver Tongue said, between gasps of laughter. At this, Silver Page himself gave a mighty roar of humor. The pair of them rolled in the books laughing until the Crystal librarian walked over to them and shushed them up, then walked away muttering about crazy ponies.

“What’s on your mind, Wiggle?” Silver Page asked after a while, using the family nick-name for Silver Tongue when he’d been a foal. Sighing, Silver Tongue told his grandfather about his odd feelings around Gem Swirl, and the terrifying threat he had received from Crispy Brush last night.

Silver Page listened silently, making no movements or gestures. At length, he patted Silver Tongue’s back when his grandson was done.

“I reckon its love. That, or a stomach virus.”

“Come on, gramps! I’m serious here!”

“As am I!” Silver Page got up, and began to clean up the mess they’d made. “I know you’ve been around the block, so to speak, and I know of your reputation for being a bit of a flirt and a play-stallion.” Silver Tongue looked away, slightly embarrassed.

“Don’t be ashamed of yourself! It’s who you are, and I know that you never cross the line. You brag and boast, but never lie. You flirt and chase tail, but you never break hearts. You are a good pony, and the children love you, if nothing else. So tell me truthfully. Do you think this is love you feel?” Silver Page looked at Silver Tongue meaningfully.

“I don’t know. I’ve never felt this way, and I don’t think I’ve ever loved somepony before.”

“Then why don’t you find out?” Silver Page pointed to the doors, and Silver Tongue took the hint. He left the library, not quite galloping, but certainly faster than a trot. Silver Page smiled softly as his grandson left, and he rubbed the scar on his right shoulder.

“Well, Happy, our grandson is growing up at last. I wish you could see it, you’d be so proud…” Silver Page whispered to himself, before getting back to the clean-up. “Probably should have told him to help me first…”

Gem Swirl smiled. She beamed, radiant, and trotted leisurely through the streets of the Crystal Empire. The Crystal Ponies were stunned at her sudden change in demeanor. She waved at nearby ponies, said greetings to those she knew and recognized, and even laughed with some foals who didn’t know why she was happy, but were glad she was.

“Gem Swirl?” she looked up at the voice, and saw the pale blue Earth pony for yesterday.

“Silver Tongue?” she asked, worried that she’d forgotten his name. His expression told her that not only did she remember, but that he was happy that she had.

“Yes, it’s me. How are you? I mean, uh, how was the book? The one gramps lent you? I, um,” Silver Tongue stammered, and Gem Swirl giggled good naturedly at him.

“It was a wonderful book. I want to thank him, and see if he has any of the rest.” She fell in step next to Silver Tongue, who gulped, and walked beside him for a bit.

“Hey! Mister from yesterday! Wanna play?” Silver Tongue looked over at the small group of foals who were following behind, and he smiled back.

“Only if you have room for one more,” he replied and Gem Swirl smiled, slightly embarrassed.

“Yeah! Play!” The children ran off, and they followed after. They spent a whole hour just play catch and bounce ball, until parents called for their kids to come back and have lunch, and they whined collectively about it. Still, they left, and soon Silver Tongue and Gem Swirl were alone together on a grassy hill in the suburbs.

“You seem different today.” Silver Tongue brought up the topic at last, and looked over at the mare beside him. “Don’t get me wrong, I love your positive outlook, but it seems so…sudden.” Gem Swirl sighed, and looked back at him.

“For a long time, I haven’t been able to sleep. When I was King Sombra’s wife, it was because of his magic. Now, it’s because I can’t forget those times. I wake up after a few hours screaming and crying. I rarely get more than five hours. But last night, for the first time in fourteen years, I slept. And I dreamt of good things. Of better times and joy, not nightmares and pain.” She trembled a bit, and Silver Tongue hesitantly leaned over and rested his head on her shoulders. She stiffened, but soon relaxed, and they sat on the hill for a while, saying nothing. After a short time, they noticed the eyes of some ponies on them, and they straightened up, coughing and looking mightily embarrassed.

“Why don’t we go down to the library and say hello to my grandfather. I’m sure he’ll be glad to lend you the rest of the Daring Doo novels,” Silver Tongue suggested, and Gem Swirl nodded eagerly.

“Okay, does ‘An Abridged History of Music’ go in the Music Section, the History Section, or the Leisure Section?” Gold Dust asked, levitating a slim book over her head, trying to decide on a pile for it.

“It goes in the History Section! Next to ‘The Sad Fate of the Didgerido!’” Silver Page called out, near another pile of book, and Gold Dust put the book in its spot.

“As amazing as the fact that all these books survived a thousand years is, I can’t help but wonder if the world would be better off without some,” Gold Dust commented, still shaken after the whole collection of vintage cross-species pornography had fallen on her.

“I can’t really disagree with you, my dear,” Silver Page muttered, still perplexed over how anypony could consider ‘Turpentine: 101 Ways to Make it Fun’ a good book to own, let alone use.
The Library doors opened, and Silver Tongue entered, escorting a laughing Gem Swirl inside.

“…but it was only after the ants started dying did we realize the cupcakes were tainted. Unfortunately, I had eaten three but that point.” Gem Swirl gasped a bit, but Silver Tongue just laughed it off. “It was no big deal! Sure, they rushed me to the hospital, pumped my stomach, and I couldn’t move for a day, but we got some laughs out of it, at least!” he looked up from his narrative, and waved at his family.

“Please tell me you weren’t telling her about the picnic,” Gold Dust pleaded, and she covered her face in shame when he nodded that it was the picnic story.

“Hello, miss Gold Dust. I’m sorry about my reaction yesterday. It was rude of me,” Gem Swirl said, apologizing for the awkward moment.

“Oh, No problem.” Gold Dust accepted the apology graciously, and headed back to the books, as one pile was starting to wobble.

“Thank you, sir, for the book yesterday. It was lovely,” Gem Swirl said as Silver Page trotted over. They shook hooves, and he nodded in thanks.

“Oh course, my dear. I brought some more of them with me today, hoping you might stop by. Here let me get them,” Silver Page said, and he left, but quickly returned with three books balanced on his head.

“You know, the author based Daring Doo on me,” Silver Page said, passing them to Gem Swirl. She raised an eyebrow at this, and he chuckled. “Yes, I know I’m not a lovely Pegasus, but I did uncover some lost ruins. Used to be an adventurer before I became a Librarian.”

“Really? Why did you quit?”

“It’s not always as glamorous as the books, my dear. It’s hard to enjoy a trip in Leech Bite Swamp when, you know, there are leeches biting you. Besides, I got older, I got wiser, and I realized I wanted a family. I used up a lot of my luck already on some of my escapades, and I decided to quit while I could.” at this, Silver Page briefly touched his scar. “Besides, why not let some other rising star make it big? I haven’t found all the treasure yet!”
Gem Swirl nodded, and Silver Page looked up her and down. She got a bit nervous, and started to pace. Noticing this, Silver Page stopped.

“I’m sorry. But you seem, different than when I last saw you.” Gem Swirl smiled to show no harm had been done, and nodded in response.

“I had a wonderful sleep. Usually, I’m tormented in my dreams, but I took a special potion to ease my thoughts.”

“Really? I’d love to get some. I have a few bad dreams I’d like to forget,” Silver Page said with a smile, but Silver Tongue knew his grandfather was only half joking.

“I don’t know how to make, but I know the person who gave it to me. It was a Unicorn peddler, selling some toys in the market place yesterday.

“A Unicorn toymaker?” Silver Page asked, his tone turning dead pan. Gem Swirl nodded, and continued on, not noticing the change.

“Yes, he called himself that! The Toymaker! I thought he was a bit odd, but maybe I was just paranoid about him being, well, you know…”

“A rust red Unicorn?” Silver Page inquired, and she nodded again.

“Yes! His coat was an odd red color. But I don’t know if it was rust. Maybe a dark crimson?” Silver Page’s face had gone pale, and an expression of horror was on it. He hurried off out of the library, with the rest of them standing around looking confused.

“What was that all about?” Gold Dust asked, from behind a pile.

He had searched all over the Crystal Empire, but had seen neither hide nor hair of the pony he dreaded to see. At length, after rushing through the city, suburbs and fields, an exhausted Silver Page returned to the Crystal Palace at dinner time, but demanded quill and ink instead of food.

“I would like you to send this letter to Celestia, Shining Armor,” he said at the dining table that evening, and the Unicorn prince nodded.

“Sure. Now, or later?”

“Now.” Silver Page’s expression was fierce, and it scared Shining Armor enough that he teleported it right away.

“Don’t ask me about the letter, in case I’m wrong. And especially don’t ask me about it if I’m right.” Having said that, Silver Page retreated to his bedroom, leaving some perplexed ponies behind. Gold Dust shrugged as Princess Cadence looked at them, while Silver Tongue was too busy sweating in fear of the maid Crispy Brush, who stared at him and slowly bent an iron ladle in and out of shape, over and over.

After dinner, Silver Tongue tried to escape to his room, but once again Crispy cornered him. This time, with friends; a second maid-mare and an elderly butler. Pinning him to the wall, Crispy shook her head in mock despair.

“Are you really brave or really stupid to go after the Lady Gem Swirl after what I said last night?” Silver Tongue made no sound except a strangled squeal, and Crispy grinned evilly.

“Stupid it is, then! Let’s see, where should we put you today? We could toss you in the sewers, or maybe roll you up inside a rug and toss you outside the barrier into the tundra? What do you two think?” Crispy looked behind her at her two confederates, you looked down nervously.

“Isn’t this a bit much, Crispy?” the maid asked, who got a full dose of the angry mare’s stare.

“We have to teach this punk a lesson, or else he’ll hurt the lady again!” Crispy protested, but this time the butler spoke up.

“She seemed happy,” he said, and didn’t flinch like the pony next to him. “And so did he. I didn’t see any ill intention in him.”

“So what? We’re supposed to protect her!” Crispy pushed her hooves sharply into Silver Tongue’s ribs, and he gave a startled grunt of pain. “We’re always supposed to protect her! We covered for her when she broke the dishes and her parents got mad! We cleaned up the mess for her when she tried to cook pancakes for her mother on Mare’s Day, but set the kitchen on fire! We hid her when Sombra tried to hurt her! We soothed her cuts and welts after he abused her! We sang her songs and held her hooves when she woke up screaming every night for fourteen years! We were the ones who protected her all this time! It was us! Not him!”

At this, Crispy let go of Silver Tongue, and he wheezed as the pressure vanished. He looked down at the Crystal Mare who lay sobbing on the floor, and his heart reached out to her. The butler and second maid came over and cradled her in their hooves as she cried.

“Please don’t hate her. Crispy and us, we were the ones who looked after Gem Swirl as a foal, and we took care of her when King Sombra enslaved our land.” The butler placed a soothing hoof on the weeping maid’s forehead, and she whimpered a bit, but calmed down. “We don’t want lady Gem Swirl to suffer any more than she already has, and Crispy thinks that love will only hurt her. Especially love with a play-stallion who hits on maids.”
Silver Tongue said nothing, but slid down onto the cool marble and granite floor alongside them.

“I know why you don’t want me near her, I really do. Heck, if I were you, I wouldn’t want me near her.” At this, Crispy raises her head to look at Silver Tongue through teary eyes.

“But I want you to know that I feel something when I see Gem Swirl, and I feel it when I stand beside her and talk with her. I don’t know if its love, but I’ll be sure to let you know whatever the outcome. I can’t possibly know her pain, but maybe I could try to lessen some of it.” Silver Tongue held out his hoof, and Crispy stared at it for a long time. Eventually, she sniffs, and shakes it with her own hoof.

“If you make her cry, I’m throwing you into the sewers,” she muttered.

“Or into the tundra wrapped in a carpet,” Silver Tongue added, and they shared a grin.

Gem Swirl didn’t understand. She looked at the glass bottle on the table, stared at it hard, from every angle she could. It didn’t make sense. She had drunk all of the contents last night, but here she was that very evening staring at a full bottle. She nudged it with her hoof. It wobbled, and the liquid inside sloshed. Did it magically refill after being consumed? Could she drink it every night and experience the dreams? A part of her was afraid. How was this possible? Magic? If so, should she really drink something that was made of unknown substances and of questionable origins? But a larger part of her, a stronger part, argued that if it granted her such bliss, than who cared where it came from.

“Sweet dreams,” she whispered, and drained the whole bottle.

Author's Note:

One more chapter to go before this story is done!